The Malta Gaming Authority has called on all licensees to participate in three open public consultations launched by the EU’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) on draft Regulatory Technical Standards that will reshape AML compliance obligations across both financial and non-financial sectors, including gaming.
What AMLA Is Consulting On
AMLA published the three draft Regulatory Technical Standards on 9 February 2026, covering areas central to how obliged entities manage money laundering risk.
The first addresses customer due diligence, setting out how operators must verify customer identity and conduct ongoing monitoring under a risk-sensitive framework aligned with the Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/1624). The second establishes criteria for identifying business relationships, occasional transactions, and linked transactions — the structural basis upon which CDD obligations apply. The third covers enforcement, creating a common supervisory approach across the EU for assessing, categorising, and responding to AML/CFT breaches under the Sixth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (Directive (EU) 2024/1640).
The AML Regulation itself is set to apply directly across all EU member states from 10 July 2027, largely replacing the current patchwork of national AML frameworks.
Why the Gaming Sector Is Specifically Affected
The MGA highlighted a detail that makes this consultation round particularly significant for operators: AMLA is now consulting on the non-financial sector. Previous EU-level AML consultations, including those conducted by the European Banking Authority, drew limited participation from non-financial entities. AMLA has expressly encouraged broader engagement this time.
For gaming licensees, the practical stakes are high. How AMLA defines business relationships and linked transactions will determine CDD trigger thresholds. How the enforcement RTS calibrates breach categories will influence how national regulators, including the MGA, assess and respond to compliance failures once the new framework is operational.
The MGA stated that early engagement is essential, with well-informed input able to help ensure that technical standards “remain proportionate, well-calibrated, and responsive to sector-specific risks.” Operators are encouraged to submit feedback directly to AMLA through its designated channels.
Deadlines and Next Steps
AMLA has set two submission deadlines. Feedback on the enforcement RTS under Article 53(10) of AMLD6 is due by Monday, 9 March 2026. Feedback on the CDD and business relationships RTS under Articles 28(1) and 19(9) of the AMLR is due by Friday, 8 May 2026. AMLA has also scheduled an online public hearing on the business relationships and CDD draft standards for 24 March 2026.
The MGA confirmed it is available to discuss sector-specific concerns with licensees ahead of the deadlines, and has invited operators to share written feedback with the Authority directly to inform its own engagement with the consultation process.
The broader AMLA framework positions 2026 as a transition year before the authority assumes its full supervisory mandate in 2028, when it will directly oversee 40 of the most complex and high-risk financial institutions operating across the EU. For the non-financial sector, including gaming, AMLA’s role will be indirect — coordinating national supervisory bodies such as the MGA — but the technical standards being drafted now will bind those national frameworks.
Operators looking at the compliance implications across European markets can find relevant context in TGE’s regulatory coverage, including the UKGC’s £18m in penalties issued during 2025 and the KSA’s AML compliance notice to ComeOn’s parent company.
Source: Malta Gaming Authority
